I turned 21 three weeks ago. Wow, that's over two decades of a well-lived and painstakingly rewarding timeline here on earth. Also marks the end of my carefree and exciting youth, and the beginning of a much more exhilarating phase— the prime time, as I'd like to believe, where huge dreams can finally and slowly taste a bit of reality. 21, however, makes me so bewildered and frightened at the same time. Like all of the normally confused 20-something's out there, I'm also trying to figure out how to properly deal with all the responsibilities of true adulting, all while living the sensational times that come with this massive lifestyle change. Fret not, I've been an optimist as always. I take this aging so positively because I genuinely believe that getting a year older only means I've conquered another milestone in this lifetime and a bountiful outpour of blessings are about to come my way. 

My birthday this year falls on Holy Week, Tuesday. I had the whole day perfectly planned— a lunch out with my family, shopping, Church time, and the rest of the night enjoying the comforts of my bed all by myself. But even the flawlessly crafted plans are interfered by the unexpected. This time around, it came to me in forms of beautiful humans holding golden balloons in the kitchen. My college best friends, Jamie and Ck, were there! On the morning of my birthday. In my home. At Bulacan. On a Holy Week. They literally went the extra mile and traveled far and early to surprise me! I am so moved. 

Thinking about it, the day still went according to plan. But it became so much better than I've imagined it would be. Together with my best friends, we had lunch at Buffet 101 to officially celebrate my birthday. It was special for me because I'm treating everyone with my hard-earned money from a hosting gig I did back in March. The best thing I could give all of us is the luxury of unlimited cuisines. Of course, I didn't forget to spend some special time with the Lord. We went to Divine Mercy. I thanked God for another year. I can only be grateful for having an amazing family who is supportive of all my dreams and aspirations, incredible friends who got my back through all of the highs and lows, and multiple opportunities of a lifetime. I capped-off the night with some of the best guy friends in the world. No better way to end my birthday than with hard liquor, genuine talks, and boisterous laughter.

But that was not the end of it all. Absolutely not it. 

Knowing how my birthday last year was a solid one and a total blast, I could not let my 21st pass without celebrating it with the same people who made it so much memorable. Two weeks after my actual birthday, I held a small and simple house party to gather everyone closest to my heart. I am a true fan of mixing different groups of friends, and obviously, I especially love doing it on my birthday. I was so grateful and overjoyed seeing my friends from both of my high schools and my blockmates from the university got along so well. We literally looked just like one huge barkada who had history and had known each other from long ago.


Until now, I am at loss for the right words to describe the night that was, but there's one thing I'm certain of: I'm genuinely and truthfully happy that it just gets more solid and better every year. If last year was hard to top; well, this year rightfully earned to fight for the title in claiming itself as the best one yet. Sharing with you a few photos from that night and hoping these frames could help me translate all the fun, wasted moments we've had and how much great of a time it was. 


And just like that... I'm 21! I have no more excuses for doing all the childish, petty, and foolish things I've been doing in the past. An entirely new chapter opens for me this year, and no matter how terrifying it looks to me right now, I am also very much excited to face it head on. Here's to hoping I get to celebrate more loving and fruitful years with very precious humans who nurture my soul and make me the best version of me. Happy birthday, self!